


Where people are (I see them dancing on two)

by reversewritings



Category: VIXX
Genre: Little Mermaid AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2018-12-31 13:39:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12133674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reversewritings/pseuds/reversewritings
Summary: Hakyeon's dreams lie beyond the seas and together with his human friend Taekwoon, they set out to find his prince.Little Mermaid!AU





	Where people are (I see them dancing on two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU has been lying around my desktop for awhile so I decided to post it. Hopefully, it will spur me to write faster. Also, it may or may not contain angst, depending on how I feel as I write the last few chapters. Just a warning in advance :)  
>   
> As of now, I have only wrote 1/4 of the entire fic.

The sea, a reflection of the sky. Waves crash and tumble, like how clouds roll and overlay each other. The sky sheds tears while the sea moans its sorrows. At its most turbulent, its anger manifests. Each fold of water compels a tremendous force, determined to swallow anything that dare tread upon its territory, dragging them down to the deepest part of the dark ocean. While men sung tales of conquering the vast sky, the bottom of the sea is a place where none went and lived to share about. Myths of devious sea monsters spun by sailors scared the townsfolk and parents used such stories to frighten their children when they misbehave.

But contrary to popular belief, what laid at the bottom was not of desolation and darkness. Where no man could reach freely, angelfish lit up the seabed with their little anglers, emitting a beautiful, ethereal glow as opposed to their menacing looks. Peculiar plants with bioluminescent fruit bulbs irradiated clear blue hues across the seabed, dispelling any depressing atmosphere that could have possibly lingered from the dull brown and green colors that were native there.

Life thrived. Schools of undocumented fish went about their daily lives, farming their crops of seaweed and made homes out of colorful corals. Whales sang lullabies and giant sea horses pulled carriages sat upon by mermen, ferrying them from city to city. For each kind gesture the sea horses extended to the mermen, they received protection and bountiful meals of plankton.

In the capital of the sea, there lived a royal family. They had the most pleasing home, carved from the largest limestone, with windows made from the clearest quartz and furniture curated from the freshest shipwrecks, gifts that the sea deities bestowed upon them. Six mermaids and three mermen, it was a loving family of nine, adored by merfolk, fishes and invertebrates alike.

The youngest of them all, was the prettiest of them all. An adorable merman named Hakyeon. Sea folks spoke endless praise of their prince’s beauty. His soft ebony hair fluttered in the gentle currents whenever he swam around the city, beating his thick strong tail against the water. His eyes were the darkest black but always bright with joy and curiosity. And curious this boy was, for his desire to seek knowledge out of the ocean’s boundaries was uncontainable.

Since young, Hakyeon had heard stories about the world above them from his siblings, from the moment they breathed their first lungful of pure atmospheric air and perched upon rocks that peaked out of the ocean, singing their enchanting tunes. Hakyeon wanted to experience them all, but what captivated him the most was the stories of travelling land dwellers, for he heard tales about how they traversed the seas with their wooden planks sewn together to form the shape of a giant oyster shell, mysterious things which propelled itself with the winds. He wondered why they never visited but his grandmother, the great queen dowager, had warned him of approaching the land dwellers, an advice he would soon wished to have heeded.

On that fateful eighteenth birthday, when a merman’s tail grew strong enough to paddle to the surface of the sea, Hakyeon woke with excitement. He groomed his hair with silver forks and preened his scales with floss made from sea silk. Now that he had completely underwent puberty, his scales are harder than diamonds. They shimmered more than before but were also heavy and sometimes all too sharp. Hakyeon hated the way it weighed him down.  _A curse for growing up_ , he had believed. But Hakyeon's grandmother had chastised him for saying that. " _For beauty, you must tolerate pain."_  Famous words she said. But they hurt, and Hakyeon had learnt the hard way when he went a day without preening them. A stray scale had pierced his skin, blood diluted, wisped away by the waters and salt stung his wound, leaving him bedridden for days. Hakyeon sighed at the memory as he tottered around, getting ready to leave, and he briefly wondered if land dwellers suffered the same fate when they reached puberty. That night, he left home hours before sunset, determined to witness the great amber sphere sink beneath the horizons, the most beautiful sight, his sisters had said. He bid his goodbyes and made promises to return home safely before he was gone in a flash.

After a few detours from chasing stray jellyfishes and riding riptides, the water turned a lighter shade of azure and Hakyeon’s head broke the surface of the water. Throwing his head back and inhaling deep, he marveled at the feeling of cool, salty air dancing atop his palettes and rushing into his lungs. He rubbed the water out of his eyes, only to be disappointed by dark skies. He hadn’t made it in time for sunset.

Despite that, Hakyeon’s disappointment didn’t last long. For in place of the sun, he saw the moon, a giant pearl in the sky, and on that dark canvas, thousands of diamonds laid scattered across. More gorgeous than any sea wreck he had ever seen and nothing like any other scenery under the sea. The sound of wind whirling and water sloshing were foreign but not unpleasant, and he giggled when he felt the slight tickle in his ears just as a particularly strong gust of wind blew at him.  _“Must be the wind sprites,”_  he thought to himself as he laid on his back, flicking his tail lazily and letting himself drift on the surface whilst admiring the sky, the feeling of peace lulling his soul.

Hours flew by quickly unbeknownst to Hakyeon, and soon he had floated a few hundred miles away from home. Careless as he was, Hakyeon remained unaware of his surroundings till his head hit something hard and he jerked away, letting out a short sound of startle as one hand came up to rub on his bump. He whirled back to see what had gotten him, peeved that it had ruined his peace and quiet, but lo and behold, a sight that he was unprepared for greeted him.

“The giant oyster shell…” Hakyeon breathed out in awe.

Hakyeon had not expected to come across a land dweller vessel so soon, after all, it took his sisters several trips over a couple of months before they had managed to chance upon one. He circled the structure curiously, amazed by how it drifted slowly and steadily across the surface. Curious, he carefully placed a palm on the surface of the structure and exclaimed in astonishment when it turned out smooth and nothing like the texture of prickly oyster shells.

“Who’s there?”

Hakyeon startled at the deep voice that came out of nowhere, he ducked his head underwater, determined to hide himself but his mop of hair betrayed him. To the man above, the sight was startling. It seemed as if someone had fell over the railings.

“Is someone drowning?! Do you need help?” The foreign voice grew increasingly loud and alarmed, and just as the stranger was about to shout for others to come, Hakyeon sensed something wrong and broke the water surface again.

“Wait!” Unwilling to attract more attention than necessary, Hakyeon stopped the man. He looked up and their eyes met. Panic and disbelief swam in the iris of the man aboard the giant structure. But more importantly, Hakyeon was interested in his attire. Nothing like the tattered rags he had seen at shipwrecks, he was dressed in the most extravagant pristine white getup with what looked like a coat of fur and Hakyeon yearned to touch the material to learn what it felt like. He thought it must be uncomfortable, for one’s upper torso to be constricted by things, and he wondered why land dwellers would subject themselves to such torture.

“I’m fine down here,” Hakyeon replied softly, unsure of what to say. It came out unconvincing and meek, but Hakyeon knew not how else to respond.

“But how…?” The stranger peered over the railings, silver hair fluttering in the slight breeze. He gasped when he saw Hakyeon’s tail, idly drifting in the sea.

“Y-you have a tail!”

Hakyeon chuckled at the way the stranger’s face contorted in surprise and the stranger flushed with embarrassment. Behind him, the ship's horn sounded and smoke from an onboard firepit tainted the sky.

“I mean..." The stranger struggled to begin and scratched his head. He broke off and restructured his sentence. "I don’t mean to gawk but it is not exactly a common sight…”

“It helps me navigate the waters easily, like they do for our fish friends.” Hakyeon said as he raised his tail proudly, gently grooming his translucent scales.

“I heard land walkers are gifted with two flippers instead of one! Is that true?” Hakyeon couldn’t see the stranger’s legs from where he swam.

The stranger expressed a moment of confusion before realization hit him.

“We call them legs here.” The man breathed out a deep chortle and Hakyeon blushed. He repeated after him curiously, feeling the foreign word roll off his tongue. It felt good and he smiled wide.

“Is it not freezing down there?” The man asked curiously.

“Not at all!” Hakyeon exclaimed, “It is rather pleasant, the sea is a good friend of ours. It protects us from the chills and willy nillies of the atmosphere.” Hakyeon explained, blissfully unaware that it was the magic in his veins that protected the mermen from the unforgiving sea. It was almost winter, and the bone chilling temperature would kill any human that dare swim in it, but Hakyeon would not know.

“What are you doing on this vessel?” Hakyeon’s voice was steady but deep inside he was bubbling with excitement from holding a conversation with a land dweller.

“Nothing much. There's a party going on but...I excused myself.”

“Oh? Why?” He couldn’t understand why he would do that. Parties were a joy, especially the music and dances that came along with it.

“Nothing really... bored maybe?”

“Oh…” Hakyeon trailed off. “Would you...would you perhaps like to join me down here then? There are many exciting things you can see under the sea!” Hakyeon beamed, excited to bring a land walker friend home. The stranger looked taken back by the sudden offer.

“I don’t think that is a good idea…”

“Don’t worry, I will catch you!” Hakyeon said eagerly. The stranger looked into Hakyeon’s bright beaming eyes and smiled, it was enchanting, but more so, it was compelling, and a strange sense of trust flooded him. Perhaps it was the alcohol he had consumed earlier, but the stranger thought to himself, _maybe he was up for some fun tonight._  

"Hold on." The stranger said with a charming smile.He shrugged off his top, hanging them over the railings, and Hakyeon flushed at the sculpted muscles that were previously hidden under those layers of cloths. He outstretched his arms more eagerly, ready to receive his new friend. He would soften his fall into the welcoming waters.

The stranger climbed over the railings and with a bashful grin of exhilaration, he let go.

In less than a second, Hakyeon would realize how things could go wrong so quickly, so easily.

“Ah!--” The stranger gasped in shock as the ice cold water hit his body, limbs immediately flailing as he struggled to stay afloat. It took a second before Hakyeon realized that something had went wrong and he tried to prop him up from under his armpits.

“Calm down!” Hakyeon couldn’t understand the reaction this man was showing, but he wasn’t given much time to contemplate over his misdeed. To his horror, he watched as the man in his arms shook uncontrollably, teeth chattering and soon, his limbs were rendered useless, too numb from the cold.

“Help! Someone, help!” Hakyeon yelled. 

The ship was bustling with activity, noise hushed by the closed doors. So sure that someone would hear him, desperation momentarily blinded hakyeon from the impending danger that his grandma had forewarned him.

It didn’t take long for the land dwellers on the boat to hear his cries. One by one, they ran out to the corridor, first merely curious, peering over the railings to see what the commotion was about, but later, as they realized the soon-to-be tragedy, chaos ensued.

“Prince Wonshik! What do we do?!” One yelled.

“The prince has been charmed by a siren!” Another screamed.

Havoc dawned atop the deck but soon enough, someone threw a buoy tied to a rope onto the surface on the waters. By now, the prince had started to turn a deathly shade of blue and Hakyeon had to scramble for the buoy, desperate for them to quickly pull the prince up. What he did not foresee, however, was the pallets of tableware that started to rain down upon him, the sharp metal and glass grazing him upon impact and he flinched away in fear.

“It’s trying to sabotage the buoy! Stop it!” A guest aboard the ship yelled hysterically.

“No, I’m not--!” Hakyeon protested but to no avail. As quickly as he could, he tugged the buoy over the prince’s head before ducking under water, desperate to get away when he saw soldiers drawing arrows on their bows. The sound of water gushing from his sudden dive flooded his ears. From underwater, he could hear muffles of cries of relief as a deep, loud cough echoed in the night, the prince expelling water from his lungs.

“Grab a blanket!” Hakyeon heard someone say.

The shadow of the boat slowly drifted away. The voices grew distant but Hakyeon remained worried.  _What had he done?_ He thought to himself. Briefly, he considered pursuing the boat to explain himself to his new friend, but the fear of being attacked again lingered heavily in his heart. He peered his eyes cautiously over the surface of the water and he saw that the boat was now all but a small figure heading towards the horizon.

No longer a trace of the smile he had whilst he talked to the stranger, Hakyeon's eyes were downcast. Too much time had passed and he could see the sky’s color starting to turn dark blue. He decided to head home for fear that his family would worry for him. Whilst he swam away lonelily, his expression crumpled into a sad frown as he tried to wrap his mind around how his first adventure had gone so wrong.

 

 

* * *

 

 

That night, Hakyeon cried to his mother as she tucked him into bed, recounting the horrible experience that had his hurt feelings.

“Silly child,” she chided, “humans aren’t made for the ocean.” she cupped his face gently as she explained.

“Why?” Hakyeon asked.

“They plunder our homes for fish beyond their needs and have since lost the goodwill of the sea gods. Their thin skin and brittle bones will not protect them from what awaits them at the bed of the ocean -- a chilling death.” Realizing his mistake, Hakyeon sobbed harder.

“Don’t cry my sweet darling. You did nothing wrong." At that, Hakyeon opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but his mother only shushed him with a finger to his lips. "Do you want to hear a lullaby?”

Unable to retort, Hakyeon could only nod. His small fists clenched the hem of his blankets tighter as his mother cuddled him, hoping to help him find some comfort.

 

“The _seaweed is always greener_

_In somebody else's lake_

_You dream about going up there_

_But that is a big mistake_

_Just look at the world around you_

_Right here on the ocean floor_

_Such wonderful things surround you_

_What more are you looking for?_

_Under the sea_

_Under the sea_

_Darling it's better_

_Down where it's wetter_

_Take it from me_

_Up on the shore they work all day_

_Out in the sun they slave away_

_While we devoting_

_Full time to floating_

_Under the_ _sea._ _”_

 

As Hakyeon drifted off into his dreams, a single thought plagued his mind. 

_How would he explain to his human friend that he had meant no harm?_

 

 

* * *

 

 

Days passed, but the ever cheerful Hakyeon now spent much of his time moping around home, refusing to leave the palace to greet his fellow sea folks who missed him so. Guilt hung heavily upon his shoulders and he couldn’t bring himself to grace the crowds. Saddened by her brother’s apathy, Hakyeon’s third sister, a brawny brunette, approached him with advice.

“If you so long to make amends and apologize, there live a sea witch many miles from home. I hear she has the ability to grant us legs, although it comes at a hefty price which I know not what of.” She had thought Hakyeon would hesitate at the suggestion of shady magic but the boy only lifted his head that he had hung low for so long, a small tinge of hope, and maybe even some excitement, seeping into his expression.

“Where?” Hakyeon asked.

“She sits upon a granite throne surrounded by submarine volcanos. Keep heading east and soon you’ll see bubbles emitting from fissures. The waters will warm but do not mistake it for welcome. You must think carefully before making a deal with her and promise me little brother, that you will come back safe.” She pulled Hakyeon into a tight hug and Hakyeon returned it. 

“Thank you.” He said, and she knew that he had already come to a decision.

Unsure if she had done the right thing, she watched as her brother swam away secretly into the depths of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm sorry Hakyeon is very giggly. He started off as a really charismatic merman in my imaginations but then I got flooded with Hakbirb pictures on twitter and things went south. He is so cute. I love him. :[
> 
> 2\. I based it off this lullaby version of "Under the sea" (https://youtu.be/3--nWrhujJc?t=19s), Hakyeon's mother definitely did not pull a Sebastian (the lobster) and a sea orchestra on him.


End file.
